Bustravel Iceland Reviews 48

The Golden Circle tour was rushed not giving us enough time at each site, especially as it was busy. At one stop we were given 45mins to view the site and eat, we managed to get a quick cup of tea. I noted as well the tour ended before the time stated on the information.
The tour guide did not warn us of the pickpockets in the area, we saw a sign at the Gulfoss falls.

Waste of time totally not worth it. Booked a multi day tour and it’s actually a 2 days tour + 3 one day tour with different guides. Took an hour to pick up everyone. And there are 3 different tours on the same bus!!! Taking unnecessary time dropping people off at different destinations! We even only had 30 minutes at the Kerri volcanic crater, and only one person had enough time to walk down and take a look. We could have enough time if not for all the detours (due to several different tours on the same bus). Also the itinerary has changed a lot from when we booked it on the site (my assumption is they don’t have enough people on each tour so amended it and stuffing everyone on different tours on the same bus). The bus travel Iceland has totally ruined my trip!! Not worth booking multi day trips with them at all, to save them the cost they would not deliver each specific tours by themselves on separate bus (even if not full), but instead because the tours are not full so stuff everyone on one bus (and yes of course the bus is super full). What a disappointment and a waste of time! Also, doing such is cheating and a scam, shortening our tour time, to accommodate different tours on the same bus.

Had such a great time on the Golden Circle tour! The smaller group made everything feel way more relaxed, and we had plenty of time at each stop without ever feeling rushed. Every place we visited was absolutely gorgeous.

Our guide, Siggie, was incredible. He was really funny, super informative, and explained everything in such an engaging way. He learned everyone’s name and took the time to chat with each person individually, which made the whole day feel extra special. He made sure everyone was having a good time and was both professional and caring.

Overall, the stunning views, the relaxed small group vibe, and Siggie’s amazing energy made this one of the best tours we’ve done. Would 100% choose this company again in the future!
- Taya

Bus Travel Iceland is an extraordinarily efficient company the 6 day tour I embarked upon was extremely well planed.
Our party consisted of 13 diverse travellers who as luck would have were the nicest people I could hope to be in the company of, the icing on the cake was our guide Dagur, he is patient knowledgeable and extremely kind, an absolute delight to travel with.
The hotels were all very well chosen and the rooms of a high standard with a good breakfast to start our day.
The office was quick to respond when I wish to change my plans, I could not have had a more successful adventure and at the age of 78 it was very manageable.

Bus travel Iceland is your first choice if
1. you wanna face discrimination. Yes, the tour guide is a racist. He discriminated against Asian people.
2. you have another tour scheduled at night and want to miss it
3. you want to be dropped off at the wrong place
4. you want not being picked up.

We joined this tour on Sep 29, 2025 to Landmannalaugar and we waited at the hotel lobby. During the period when we were waiting, we kept checking outside to see if any tour bus had arrived. However, we still missed it. Fortunately, a hotel staff helped us to contact with the operator. Otherwise, we would be left behind!!!!

Landmannalaugar is fantastic, but the bus sucks. It stopped in the middle of the road when returning to the city. I understood it was an accident. It took almost a hour to fix it. If you have scheduled a Northen light tour at night, PLEASE DO NOT CHOOSE this despicable company. Its broken Bus will ruin your schedule.

Hotel pickup / drop off was one of my consideration when choosing a tour. The 1st drop off point supposed to be my hotel. The white couple who were siting in front of me said they would like to go downtown. The tour guide said okay and then my drop off point was skipped.

The conversation between the couple and the guide was that:
Couple : is the 1st drop off point close to midtown?
guide: no.
Couple: pleas drive me to (somewhere in downtown)

Throughout the conversation, I cannot recognize any word that the 1st drop off point would be skipped. When I found my hotel was passed and raised out, that guide ignored at first and blamed us not to voice out, and rejected to drive me back to my hotel. Racist and shirking responsibility, perfect match. lol
Dropping a guest to hotel which indicated in the itinerary, is an impossible task for guide in Bus Travel Iceland, especially he is a racist.

Conclusion:
Other operators are capble to offer similar tour and even better experience, why take the risk to choose this trash? I am not the last victim of this trash company and the racist tour guide. Go to trustpilot /other forums, you will find out more bad comment.

Note: That despicable company must claim they are innocent. I don't care anymore as i had moved on. Plus, dropping me to a wrong place and rejection to rectify their mistake is a FACT.

VERY FRUSTRATED and ANGRY in NOT being able to take the Puffin Tour from Seydisjordur with Gufufoss Waterfall on July 20, 2025. All because Bus Travel Iceland DID NOT wait for 12+people who were being tendered from the Celebrity Silhouette; despite emails and phone calls that we were coming. We arrived at 9:34am, Bus Travel Iceland left at 9:31am, tour start 9:30am. Yes, we were offered the Studlagil Canyon Tour From Seydisfjordur instead BUT this is nothing in comparison to booking a tour (and paying ~$46,400 ISK) to see puffins in Iceland for the very first time. SHAME on Bus Travel Iceland for cancelling the 10:30am tour, not enough people they said, because there would have been enough people AND all of us would have been very happy CUSTOMERS and International TOURISTS.

Advice for people on a cruise ship that tenders into this port - DO NOT BOOK with BUS TRAVEL ICELAND. Pay more $$ to do this tour with the cruise line!!

The tour guide, Ivy, was very informative & pleasant. Played Icelandic music on the trip and told jokes---very nice. The driver Provy was very good as well--- felt like we were in very capable hands. Beautiful landscapes, waterfalls, rivers, lakes farms, countryside, local mythology, elves & trolls, salmon & nats.

I travelled solo with Bus Travel Iceland on March 25, 2025, for the Golden Circle + Blue Lagoon one-day tour, and it was an incredibly disappointing experience. The attitude and behaviour of the guide were the worst part of this trip, and I feel compelled to share my experience to warn others.
The group consisted of 10 people, and I made a new friend, a solo Japanese woman.
Here’s what happened:
We missed the Geysir stop because the guide didn’t communicate the itinerary clearly. At the second stop, we were given only 30 minutes, and I was feeling very sick from the bumpy ride (the guide’s driving wasn’t very smooth). Given how short the stop was and my discomfort, I mistakenly assumed it was just a lunch break. When we realized we missed the sight, we were already at the fourth stop.
When we told the guide about this mistake, instead of apologizing or offering a solution, he became arrogant and dismissive. My friend, despite speaking politely, apologized and asked if we could go back, but the guide rudely told her: “I think the problem is your English understanding.”
His tone and attitude were inappropriate and discriminatory. I told him it was rude, and instead of acknowledging his mistake, he interrupted me loudly, insisting that he was not at fault. I was uncomfortable, but I didn’t want to escalate things further, as he was also the driver.
Later, after missing the stop, the guide mocked my friend's accent when she asked about Icelandic pronunciation. He even recorded her without her consent. Initially, he tried to record her face, but after she stopped him, he switched to recording audio. My friend asked him to delete it, and his response was rude. He deleted the audio but without any apology or acknowledgement of the issue.
I sent an email to the company, hoping for an apology or some resolution. Instead, they dismissed my complaint, argued that we were at fault, and even threatened legal action for “false accusations.” I felt completely let down by both the guide’s unprofessional behavior and the company’s response.
This experience made me feel uncomfortable, especially as two Asian women. The guide’s behavior towards us seemed to reflect a discriminatory attitude, and the company’s lack of empathy only made things worse.
I would strongly advise against booking with Bus Travel Iceland. The tour itself was not the issue, but the poor customer service and discriminatory behavior left me feeling hurt and disappointed. For a better experience, I recommend looking for other companies, as I’ve had much better experiences with other tours.

I used this company last year and they are very easy to contact and pleasant to deal with. I’ve been on 4 tours with this company now and all have been exceptional. I do want to give a shout out to IVY on our northern lights tour. While everyone on the bus knew there was no chance of seeing the lights Ivy did her absolute best to make the trip as exciting as possible.
A special mention goes to our guide Richie and kelli the bus driver.
This was our 2nd south coast tour and we were pleased when the bus arrived it was Ritchie. Ritchie goes the extra mile to accommodate everyone. We loved how he had planned the day and got everyone involved in quizzes, photo sharing and chats using WhatsApp. The information was clear on how long we had on each stop and the little reminders he sent. He brought everyone on the bus together even with different nationalities. If you book a tour with bus travel Iceland and are lucky enough to get Ritchie you’re in for a real treat. Our bus driver kelli was also awesome, smooth ride and also very accommodating. Great team.

I will always use this company for our tours when we visit Iceland after having yet another great experience from start to finish.

I had a wonderful trip to Snæfellsnes where Kjartan was the guide. He was fun and witty and he could speak danish too, which was funny for me since I am from Denmark. He had a lot to tell about the different places, and it was very insightful. It was a beautiful experience and I really enjoyed every stop. Snæfellsnes is truly magical.

On a 5 day trip in Iceland, after research and watching a variety of YouTube vlogs, we decided to book all of our trips with Bustravels. First was the golden circle, which luckily still went on despite the rainy weather. Our guide Gudjon was knowledgable and shared lots of fun fucts. We went on a northern lights tour that same night with Petra who again shared lots of Icelandic facts. Next, we went on the Southcoast Tour with an incredible guide, Richie! Richie was so much fun and shared passion in not only his job but took the time to ensure we all were having fun, engaged everyone on the bus and ventured with us at all the locations, having chats and even offering to take pictures. This trip was our absolute favourite not only for the places we visited but also for the great commentary and carefully selected music on the trip. Finally, as our first northern light tour was unsuccessful, we were able to rebook with ease on the live chat and went out with Giuseppe. Giuseppe was a fountain of knowledge and clearly explained all the scientific facts behind how the phenomenon occurs. He went above and beyond to ensure we were able to get to the best possible spots and the best views of the lights, ending our trip in the most magical way.

We booked a "Grand golden circle and whale watching tour". The day started out great with the whale watching. Sadly, we never got to experience the rest of the tour as the bus left us behind in the harbour. We walked straight and quickly from the boat to the pickup spot (advertised as a 2 min walk, we took max 3 min to walk it). When we called BusTravel Iceland they did not try to solve the situation and blamed us for being late instead.

According to them we were supposed to have arrived at the next pickup before the boat docked in harbour. If you book a combined trip that is advertised as a complete package then you trust that the different people working on said tour keep in touch to coordinate. The boat staff said the boat trip was 3h, and it probably took 3h and a few minutes, but the bus staff wanted us to be on the pickup spot a few hundred meters away at the theoretical end time of the boat trip. Unreasonably tight planning and rude customer service when we called to try to solve it.

Matthew was our guide on the Golden Circle tour this week and the coach was driven very well by Tomek. Matt was kind, entertaining and very knowledgeable and and balanced personal insight with facts superbly. A great day, one I will remember for a long time. Thanks to you both from Andy and Antonia Graham

We did the Grand Golden Circle with Bus Travel and wow, what a day! Sure, they had to cancel our Northern Lights tour thanks to Icelandic weather, but that didn’t dull the experience at all. The bus pickup was spot on, and every stop went smoothly. But let's be honest—the true star of this tour was our guide, M-Dawg. Whether it was because he’s a proper northeast lad from England or just because he genuinely wanted to give everyone an epic day, Matt made the trip unforgettable with laughs and memories for days.

Definitely my 3rd happiest day—I learned a thing or two, and I've got a fridge-worthy photo to prove it. Cheers, Mdawg!!!

Ps thank you for the food recommendations

I had a very disappointing experience with BusTravel Iceland. I booked a full-day tour of South Iceland through Viator and paid extra for hotel pickup. I waited outside my hotel as instructed, but no one showed up. When I called the company, they first told me everything was fine, and the bus was on its way. Later, I received another call saying I was not at the correct pickup point, even though my ticket clearly stated “hotel pickup" and I even paid extra for it.

I explained that I was waiting at my hotel as instructed, and even offered to reach the alternative pickup location within 10 minutes. But they refused, saying it was too late and canceled my tour. I ended up missing the entire experience that I paid for and received no proper explanation or support.

I wouldn’t recommend BusTravel Iceland. Their poor communication and unprofessional service ruined my trip.

Northern lights tour. I know that seeing the lights is the main thing. But we ha Daniel (Northern lights whisperer) his knowledge about the lights was outstanding. He made a massive difference to the tour with his good humour and knowledge. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone. Take a camera tripod and rap up warmly.

We booked the Lake Myvatn, Hot-Springs & Godafoss Waterfall Tour from Akureyri through Viator at BusTravel Iceland. Unfortunately, due to bad weather, our cruise ship could not dock so we could not participate in the excursion. Viator and BusTravel Iceland point one after the other and I, as a customer, am left empty-handed. The only thing offered is a voucher that I can never use. Iceland stole our hearts, BusTravel Iceland our money.

advice for people on a cruise
do not book with them, because if you learn less than 24 hours that your cruise ship cannot make a stopover due to weather conditions, they refuse to refund you, so you lose your money (500 euros lost). And unfortunately the captain of your cruise ship will announce the postponement less than 24 hours in advance. Choose companies that take into account the requirements of stopovers, especially when the stopover of the ship is in a tender and not at the quay.

Fabulous excursion in the company of ‘Siggi’ (the best tour guide ever) and Heidi, his ‘shadow’ for the day. Siggi took time to learn everyone’s name and he was attentive, informative and funny throughout, as well as visiting all of the main Golden Circle attractions, Siggi made other stops which he thought we would enjoy, which included an extra waterfall and delicious ice cream😀. The day lasted 10 hours (2 hours more than advertised) however nobody on our small tour complained as we were all having a great time.
Thank you Siggi (and Heidi)
Russ & Jayne, Lancaster, England

I booked two tours south iceland and golden circle. Both buses were on time. The guides were funny, entertaining and knowledgeable. They really make the trip! I saw so many beautiful sights in two days. The times you need to be back are made clear. Lunch breaks can be a bit tough I'd advise getting something quick so you have time to use the toilet as there can be queues. The drop off back home was on time too. Drivers were great I never once felt unsafe they do a great job driving in Iceland's conditions.